Where to start with Soap Making Supplies as a Beginner

Hey Zakia where did you get that? What soap making supplies will I need to start making cold process soap?

These are questions I answer time and time again on the live broadcast. So I decided to make a blog post listing the tools. This list of soap making supplies isn’t extensive and you may be surprised to find that it’s composed of only 7 things. Listed below is the soap equipment you will need as a beginning soap maker. Each of the pictures links right to my Amazon store. Be sure to shop around, as this is just a guide of items you will need.

Soap Equipment Starter List

1. Mixing Bowls – Really any mixing bowl will do, if it will hold all of your ingredients. Here are my personal favorites that you may have seen countless times on the broadcast. These bowls are no longer sold on the site but you can find good bowls at a dollar store.
   
2. Kitchen Scale – One of the most important factors when making handmade soap is weight. When measuring ingredients you want to be very accurate. This is the scale I use.
   
3. Spatulas – You can probably quote me from the Live Streams when I say “if you know a soapmaker… Get them spatulas”. Really you can never have enough when you are making soap. You can find them at your local dollar store but try to find the one piece spatulas. I cannot tell you how many times I have lost the tops in my batter. These are pretty solid.
   
4. Thermometer – You will want to monitor the temperature very closely while making soap. I highly recommend an infared one so you don’t have to stick your hand in the pot with a candy thermometer. This is the one I have and use daily.
   
5. Stick Blender – If spatulas are in the soap makers right hand, the stick blender is in their left hand. There isn’t a batch of soap that I have made where I didn’t use my stick blender. You want to make sure you get a quality stick blender that will last. It doesn’t neccesarily have to be expensive but it needs to have a pretty solid motor and withstand the test of time. But no worries a right of passage for most soapers is to burn out the motor on a stick blender or two. Check the manufacturers warranty and see if you are covered.
   
   
6. Soap Molds – Once you have mixed up all of your ingredients you are going to need somewhere to pour them. A standard loaf mold will do the trick. These are the first molds I purchased when I first started. Note they say no liner, however I never successfully made a batch that didn’t require a liner. Save yourself the hassle and line with parchment paper or freezer paper to stay on the safe side.
7. Cheese Slicer – You can certainly use a sharp kitchen knofe to cut your soap, however I don’t have a steady hand. Whenever I tried to cut my soap using a kitchen knife my slices were jagged, too thin, too thick, uneven you name it. When I started using a cheese slicer to cut my handmade soap it became a lot easier getting uniform slices of soap. Make sure you mark off the thickness you want your soap to be and cut away. The cheese slicer I use is no longer available but this one is pretty close to what I have.
   

Many of my soaping supplies come from my favorite online retailer…Amazon. Primarily because I have Amazon Prime which includes FREE 2 day shipping on most items and many times I end up getting equipment delivered daily even on a Sunday. You can Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial here.

What’s Next

Now you have a list of basic tools and soap equipment that you will need to start making your own handmade natural soap. The only thing left to do is to begin gathering your tools. The actual brand is negotiable. You can probably find most of these items at local garage sales, thrift shops and discount stores. Try to search for bargains, just because something has a high price tag doesn’t necessarily mean that it has high quality.

Consider enrolling in Live Soap School for in-depth training, a supportive community and resources from anywhere in the world.

Until next time…